Who has done hp mods to their 360?

[fomocoguy]

I want to get some feedback from you fellas here that have opted to just hop up your 360 instead of doing a 390 or something else. Mine runs real well, but I'd sure like to get a little more oomph out of it, so here's what I'm thinkin':

600 cfm 4 barrel (probably edelbrock) with a stock 4 barrel intake
pertronix ignition
comp cams 268H cam (268 adv. duration, 218 int/exh @.050 lift, .456 valve lift)
headers with 2.25" duals. h pipe, and hooker max flows

Any ideas on what kind of gains I might see? Any suggestions? I already have a good idea of what to expect, but I'd like to hear some personal experiances from ya'll whove done this to a 360. thanks guys! (and gals)

[mrtleavitt]

We just bought a '70 F100 4x4 with the original engine. I'm almost posotive they didn't come stock with 390s so I'm guessing it's a 360. It has an 600 cfm edelbrock and it is pretty stout. I bet with a cam and stuff it would bring it alive! I say go for it!

[fomocoguy]

We just bought a '70 F100 4x4 with the original engine. I'm almost posotive they didn't come stock with 390s so I'm guessing it's a 360. It has an 600 cfm edelbrock and it is pretty stout. I bet with a cam and stuff it would bring it alive! I say go for it!

I know all the 4x4 F250's had 360's in them, and I'm pretty certain the 100's only had 360's also. No matter what I'd like to end up with a 390 or bigger eventually, so I can just call it "preparing" for the upgrade . What I'd really like to do is dyno it now to get a baseline, then do it all and dyno it again to see what kind of increase I get. I've never done that before; it would be a blast for me! Who knows, I might do it all and decide to stay with the 360...

[sideoilerfe]

360's are good engines. As for bolt on power, an Edelbrock Performer RPM, 600 cfm carb and a decent cam will make the biggest difference. Other than that, don't spend anymore money on it without going with at least a 390.

[willowbilly3]

If you do those mods it will trounce a stock 390. A 360 will really wake up if you get it breathing.

[DuckRyder]

While I'm really not a Comp Cams fan, I think a single pattern cam (268H) is a particularly bad choice.

360 and 390 truck motors have very low compression and you need a modern cam profile with relatively fast ramps to preserve the dynamic compression. Ford engines in particular need a little hep on the exhaust so pick one with more exhaust duration than intake by 10 or so degrees. That is the XE series in Comp. The XE262.

Myself I would be looking at:

Lunati: 62002LK

Crane: 343941

[fomocoguy]

While I'm really not a Comp Cams fan, I think a single pattern cam (268H) is a particularly bad choice.

Well, let me tell you why I thought the 268H would be good for my application. Here's what they say in the description:

"The 268H is Comp Cams most versatile cam. It is a great performance cam for small blocks and a powerful cam for big blocks. With it's noticeable idle and great all around power, the 268H cam is great for daily driven performance vehicles. The 268H cam is an ideal cam for pickup drivers who want major power increases. It is also good for big blocks towing heavy loads equipped with lower optional rear gears."

This description fits my needs EXACTLY. They also show this disclaimer for their high energy cams:

"All high energy cams are designed to work with 8.1 or 9.1 compression. The unique lobe designs used on High Energy Cams allow them to build good cylinder pressure without the need for high static compression ratios. That's why they work so well and make so much torque. Higher compression ratios will only work against the cam and possibly cause detonation and preignition."

I'm not discounting your opinion; I'm just curious as to why you think this cam would be a bad choice. I really don't want to lose much low end power, as I do load her down occaisionally, and if I trust their description it is the perfect choice for me. Have you had a bad experiance with them? If so, what was your particular application?

[fomocoguy]

360's are good engines. As for bolt on power, an Edelbrock Performer RPM, 600 cfm carb and a decent cam will make the biggest difference. Other than that, don't spend anymore money on it without going with at least a 390.

I was planning on the edelbrock intake, but then I've heard a number of people here say they didn't think it made any more power than a stock 4 barrel, just saved weight. I'm not real sure what to think about that one...

Ok, will somebody please build a flowbench and test them both for me?

[DuckRyder]

As I already stated, I think it is a poor choice because it is a single pattern cam. If you must have a Comp get the XE262, it has the same .050 duration as the 268 it is a split pattern and will perform better with unmodified FE heads.

[fomocoguy]

As I already stated, I think it is a poor choice because it is a single pattern cam. If you must have a Comp get the XE262, it has the same .050 duration as the 268 it is a split pattern and will perform better with unmodified FE heads.

Well, I definetly like the looks of the XE262, and I understand your point about going a little bigger on the exhaust side due to the smallish exhaust valves. I'll have to put some more thought into that part. I've got time, as I'm doing this in steps as the budget allows and my first priority is the exhaust.

[DuckRyder]

Yep, I sure think the XE would be a better choice. The High Energy and Magnum lines have been around for a LONG time, so the descriptions they have are at least 20 years old. They date from when it was still called "Competition Cams".

On the intake, An Edelbrock RPM will gain performance over a stock intake (assuming the rest of the engine can make use of it) but a regular performer is a stock replacement. The RPM moves the carburetor back 1 inch, which could cause clearance problems with some air cleaners. Blue Thunder cost more and is harder to find, but it is a better quality in all respects.

You might check out Jay Browns post on the FE forum, he dynamometer tested 25 or so intakes a few years back.

[mikeconner1]

Just a short word on the Edelbrock versus stock 4bbl. For one, just the weight difference is significant, and the older I get, the more I appreciate aluminum. For two, the Performer series 600 CFM carb & intake are the best combo for the money you can buy, at about $450 for the pair. The Carter-style carb is far superior to anything Ford ever put on these trucks, and the intake is designed specifically for that carb. Just making that change alone will amaze you as to how much better it will run. If you go with the whole package of carb, intake, cam, & lifters you will not be disappointed. Very good stuff, designed specifically to work together, and not out of this world in price. Just my two cents from personal experience. I've done this upgrade on both small & big block engines, with excellent results. Can't beat them Edelbrock carbs.

[averagef250]

Just a short word on the Edelbrock versus stock 4bbl. For one, just the weight difference is significant, and the older I get, the more I appreciate aluminum. For two, the Performer series 600 CFM carb & intake are the best combo for the money you can buy, at about $450 for the pair. The Carter-style carb is far superior to anything Ford ever put on these trucks, and the intake is designed specifically for that carb. Just making that change alone will amaze you as to how much better it will run. If you go with the whole package of carb, intake, cam, & lifters you will not be disappointed. Very good stuff, designed specifically to work together, and not out of this world in price. Just my two cents from personal experience. I've done this upgrade on both small & big block engines, with excellent results. Can't beat them Edelbrock carbs.

Edelbrock stuff is mostly crap, but it it's highly advertised, very available and the carbs are idiot proof but don't run all that super.

Comp makes some good stuff, but they do not have a clue what they're doing with FE's. I've never seen a comp cam make power in a truck FE. Crane did a much better job and their FE cams (ideally the 901 or 941) make really good FE power.

Just please don't buy any "edelcrap power package". Do yourself a favor and jump off a tall building or bridge before running an edelbrock cam.

The iron intakes weigh more, but they work fine for a truck. Shoot, I've had some darn hard running FE motors with motorcraft 2V's on them.

[fomocoguy]

Here's my opinion on the carb issue...

Personally, I've had great luck with Edelbrock intakes and carbs on numerous occasions. I think the carbs are great for a daily driver where you can just put it on and not have to worry about adjustments and the need for major tuning. I put an Edelbrock intake and 600cfm carb on my 65 F250 with a 352 and it was like night and day. You would have thought it had a new engine in it. I think one would work nicely for my application!

Now, if your looking to squeeze the most performance out of your engine and don't mind some fine tuning and a little worse mileage, a Holley will make more power, hands down. I've swapped out Edelbrocks for comparable Holleys and really gained some top end performance. Plus, they are bulletproof and reliable when tuned right; it's just that most don't know how to tune them. I may end up with one, seems how I only get 9mpg anyhow.

As for cams, I apprieciate your advice (thats you averagef250) on the comp cams stuff. I think I'm gonna steer clear of them. As for the edlebrock cams, I'm sure they make more power than stock, but I would like something a little more agressive than what they offer.

What I'd really like to know is, have any of you ever used the Holley Projection fuel injection setup? Any good/bad experiances with it?

[averagef250]

Projection works pretty darn well and it's easy to tune. It's not modern injection though. TBI is a smarter version of a carb. If you can find the stuff used for few hundred go for it, but I wouldn't shell out more than a new carb price for projection that doesn't get you much more than a slight cold start and driveability advantage.